DOG HOUSE

In collaboration with designer Ross Gardam Monument magazine asked us to design a dog house for their Create a Date section.

The historical lineage associated with housing the dog was reviewed from the fox’s lair, to the hollow log, to adapted found materials – the corrugated water tank cut in half. In each instance it was evident that the dog house is used primarily for shelter, sleeping and dreaming, while defining their own domain. Architectural archetypes were then reviewed including the submerged bunker to the open shelter. We investigated how the dog house could be integrated into the landscape as opposed to a smaller version of the owner's house resulting in a disjointed relationship to its surroundings.

The form of the structure is derived from how a dog rests. The rear for curling up, the additional height for the circular movement they make prior to finding a comfortable position and then the open end for ‘flopping’ out protected by the canopy above. The 'hilled' landscape partially conceals the formed concrete structure allowing for a variety of landscaping options. These could include the veggie patch, the great Aussie lawn or native planting.

To ensure that the structure has a purpose beyond life, the dog house incorporates stone enclosure panels to permanently seal the structure forming a final resting place avoiding the need for disassembly.